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The first Matt the Miller’s Tavern opened in Dublin in October 2008, which means the timing
couldn’t have been worse.

But everything worked out, and the burgeoning chain is accelerating growth plans.

“It was the very first restaurant I had opened on my own, ... and I thought I was going to have
a heart attack,” said longtime restaurateur Craig Barnum, who made the move just as the recession
turned uglier.

But Barnum’s model for a “tweener” restaurant seems to be working. He has opened two more Matt
the Miller’s — in Grandview Heights and Carmel, Ind. — and plans to add four restaurants in the
next two years

Barnum has consolidated his three Matt the Miller’s restaurants, which had different investment
groups, into a single holding company, CLB Restaurants, and secured what he called “a substantial
loan” that will provide capital for the new restaurants.

“The goal is $30 million in sales a year by 2015,” he said.The first new Matt the Miller’s will
be in the Polaris area and is expected to open in the spring of 2014. Other possible locations
include Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky.

A “tweener” restaurant fits between traditional casual restaurants such as Max & Erma’s and
Applebee’s and more-upscale, chef-driven restaurants, such as a Cameron Mitchell restaurant or the
Short North’s Rigsby’s Kitchen.

This restaurant segment also is called upscale casual. “It is doing well,” said Ron Paul,
president of Technomic, a restaurant-research firm based in Chicago.

“People are tired of traditional casual — like Red Lobster or Ruby Tuesday — and want something
new,” he said.

Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Chang’s also are considered upscale casual restaurants.

“The fact that they were able to raise money and get a loan indicated they’re doing well,” Paul
said of CLB Restaurants and its Matt the Miller’s concept. “If you’re able to raise money, you have
to have a track record that supports the investment.”

Barnum also owns Tucci’s in Dublin, and was part of the Historic Dublin Restaurant group, which
operates Oscar’s and Brazenhead.

“We want to create a nice environment and a reason for people to come back,” he said of the Matt
the Miller’s concept.

This translates into a large bar area, featuring 26 craft beers, an outdoor patio and specials
such as Winedown Wednesdays, ladies’ nights and a Sunday brunch buffet. The menu includes the Matt
burger ($9.99), Ahi tuna flatbread ($15.99), shrimp and grits ($15.99) and Tavern sirloin
($19.99).

Some of the other upscale casual restaurants — and the competition — in Polaris include Brio
Tuscan Grill and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.

“We’re very excited about going to Polaris,” Barnum said. “There are a lot of good restaurants
there, and if we’re not any good, we won’t be successful, and we shouldn’t be successful.”